Athletic Club sign Andoni Gorosabel from Deportivo Alavés | OneFootball

Athletic Club are always pushing to gain ground on the bigger players in Spanish football, especially given their policy of only signing Basque players, which greatly restricts their recruitment.

They announced on Wednesday that they have signed right-back Andoni Gorosabel, who most recently played for Deportivo Alavés and has played over 200 games in the top flight.

Interestingly, he has also played for their Basque rivals Real Sociedad for six seasons, although the rivalry between the two clubs isn’t quite as fierce as others in the sport, with players being exchanged between the two on a semi-regular basis.

The 27-year-old made 37 appearances for Alavés last season, helping them to a mid-table 10th-placed finish, their best since 2017.

Given their fairly restrictive transfer policy, Athletic Club will likely see signing a player with such extensive La Liga experience as some good business.

The club will likely be looking to slowly integrate Gorsabel into the team as a replacement for Oscar de Marcos, who is 35 years old.

Meanwhile, Gorosable will likely be looking forward to sharing a wing with La Liga veteran Iñaki Williams, as their club looks to push forward and earn a place in the Champions League.

GSFN | Ciaran Currie